New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Richard ‘Woody’ Beirne named West Haven Irishman of the Year
WEST HAVEN — When Richard “Woody” Beirne’s name came up this time, he said he was more than honored.
“I was humbled,” he said.
Beirne, a 65-year-old retired West Shore fire captain — where he worked for 29 years — is a second-generation Irish American in West Haven. He previously served on the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, is a West
Shore Fire Department Emerald Society charter member, and served two terms as president of the firefighters’ union. He is a longtime member of the Knights of St. Patrick in New Haven and the Irish American Club in West Haven and was named the West Haven’s Elks Lodge 1537 Elk of the Year in 2019.
“I like to stay in the background and under the radar, but I was ready for it,” he told a crowd outside City Hall Friday gathered for the city’s 30th annual St. Patrick’s
Day celebration. He told the story of both his sets of grandparents’ journey from Ireland to Connecticut and shared his family’s involvement in the local community, including his father, a deputy police inspector in New Haven, and his mother, an educator of 44 years in West Haven.
Beirne said his time in the fire service was “one of the best jobs in the entire world.”
“Woody’s contributions are, to say the least, admirable,” said celebration committee member David
Coyle.
State Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, read a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly recognizing Beirne for his years of service to the community.
“For years, you have served as the backbone of this community,” she said. “This award is long, long overdue, and we’re so happy for you.”
Mayor Nancy Rossi said Beirne is “a man of fidelity, integrity and grit” before inviting Beirne to unveil a street sign naming the corner outside City Hall “Richard Beirne Square.”